Facebook and their parent company Meta, are some of the most powerful brands in the world, and one of the biggest players in the social media space.
With Twitter being such a popular platform as well, it leads you to wonder – does Facebook own Twitter? And if not, why don’t they buy it?
These are both interesting questions. In this article, I’ll cover everything that you need to know!
Does Facebook Own Twitter?
No. At this time, Facebook does not own Twitter, nor have Facebook’s parent company Meta shown any interest in buying Twitter.
Although Meta does own several other social media companies in addition to Facebook, Twitter does not seem to be on their radar at the moment, nor has it been for some time.
Instead, Twitter was recently purchased by Elon Musk for a whopping $44 billion, which many experts believe was a bad deal on his part.
Anyhow, let’s look over what companies Meta does own, and why they weren’t the ones to buy Twitter instead!
What Companies Does Meta Own?
In addition to Facebook, Meta has acquired several other companies that tie in well with its core product offering.
The two most notable examples are Instagram (which was acquired for $1 billion in 2012) and Whatsapp, (which was acquired for $19 billion in 2014.)
However, Meta also acquired several other companies, including:
- Oculus (virtual reality)
- Beluga (another messaging service)
- Onavo (web analytics)
- Kustomer (CRM)
- Face.com (facial recognition)
- LiveRail (Advertising)
- Giphy (GIF network)
And nearly 100 others!
It’s worth noting that even if these platforms don’t generate revenue for Facebook directly, the additional data, tools, and talent these acquisitions provide can help lift up Facebook’s primary business models, like advertising.
Additionally, some platforms have been able to integrate with each other nicely, with Facebook and Instagram being the two most notable examples.
Not only do users use both of them, but Meta can share user data between both platforms to make the ads presented to users generate even more revenue.
Additionally, the acquisition of Oculus (and Meta’s big bet on the metaverse) would suggest that Facebook plans to introduce advertising into VR worlds in the future as well.
So, Meta’s acquisition strategy has certainly allowed them not only to purchase several huge brands, but boost their other products by doing so!
Why Doesn’t Meta Just Buy Twitter?
So, seeing that Twitter is obviously a huge competitor to both Facebook and Instagram – and still one of the largest social networks in existence, why doesn’t Meta just buy Twitter?
Well, it’s worth noting that Facebook actually did approach Twitter with an offer not only once, but twice in the past. However, neither deal ended up going through.
Twitter as a whole is now much more valuable, and was recently purchased for a whopping $44 billion – much higher than the $500 million that was offered by Facebook previously.
Ultimately, like most business decisions, it came down to the numbers.
Despite its size, Twitter rarely turned a profit. And in the years leading up to Elon Musk’s purchase, Twitter actually lost money.
While there is certainly other value to Facebook in increasing its ownership of social platforms – more data to use for advertisers, for example, chances are it simply wasn’t worth the large asking price necessary to purchase. Especially since using tens of billions of dollars to try and turn around a company that’s losing money is a huge gamble.
Besides, there are other issues to worry about – antitrust suits, for example.
Conclusion
Currently, Facebook (nor their parent company Meta) own Twitter, or appear to have any plans to buy Twitter in the future.
Although Meta has purchased other social media and communication companies in the past, it does not appear that Twitter is something they have any interest in acquiring any time soon.
So, they are two separate companies, for the time being.
I hope that this article provided some clarification. If you have any other questions about either Twitter or Facebook, ask them below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister